According to official press reports, 14 defendants appeared before the court, including former members of the Syrian army and members of the current Ministry of Defense.

The hearings were adjourned until the 18th and 25th of next month.

Presiding Judge Zakaria Bakkar stated that the proceedings are being conducted under national, impartial, and independent standards, in accordance with the Syrian Penal Code.

He specified that the defendants face charges of sedition, incitement to civil war, leadership of armed groups, attacks against law enforcement, murder, looting, and sabotage.

Two days earlier, the National Commission in charge of the investigation announced that the trials for the abuses and violations recorded in the coastal region would be held publicly.

For his part, the commission’s spokesperson, Yasser Al-Farhan, reported that 298 people accused of attacks against civilians and 265 accused of assaulting public security personnel had been referred to the courts.

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